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Updated: May 1, 2026

Presynaptically Silent Synapses Studied with Light Microscopy
Published on: January 5, 2010
The cell biology of synaptic inhibition in health and disease
Katharine R Smith1, Josef T Kittler
1Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
Abstract:
Fast synaptic inhibition is largely mediated by GABA(A) receptors (GABA(A)Rs), ligand-gated chloride channels that play an essential role in the control of cell and network activity in the brain. Recent work has demonstrated that the delivery, number and stability of GABA(A)Rs at inhibitory synapses play a key role in the dynamic regulation of inhibitory synaptic efficacy and plasticity. The regulatory pathways essential for the fine-tuning of synaptic inhibition have also emerged as key sites of vulnerability during pathological changes in cell excitability in disease states.
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